Haaretz reporter Gili Cohen writes that the IDF sent a memo to soldiers warning that the game, which accesses phones' location data and uses its camera, could pose a threat to operational secrecy:

"The game is a source for gathering information!" reads the warning, issued by the IDF's Information Security Department, against the background of one of the Pokemon characters. "The game cannot be used on an army base!"

Israel maintains a number of bases with undisclosed locations or operations within its territory or in territories it occupies. Some of these bases are within easy driving distance of major Israeli population centers, and the majority of young Israelis get drafted into service.